


I won't let you

by flickerbyniall



Series: Prompts [4]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-04-30 23:38:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14507886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flickerbyniall/pseuds/flickerbyniall
Summary: He thought about running into Niall a million times. He created so many scenarios with so many ending. They’d meet in a cafeteria by accident, Harry would buy him a coffee and apologize for breaking both of their hearts, Niall’d laugh and buy him a biscuit because that’s who he is. But he never imagine a broken Niall crying in his arms in a pub in Dublin.





	I won't let you

Harry didn’t want to leave. He never really wanted to come to Ireland in the first place, but now he doesn’t want to leave this pub. Not until he’s sure he’s okay at least.

But he doesn’t look okay at all and it’s been almost five hours since Harry stepped into the pub and he was already here, drinking alone with red eyes and trembling hands. And Harry has a lump in his throat from the second he saw him, but the feeling didn’t go away the entire night. His co-workers keep talking to him and he keeps pretending to listen, but the truth is, he can’t take his eyes off the man in the bar with the head down and his hands around his neck.

He’s been holding himself from going to him, but now the people who he came with are leaving and asking him if they should call a taxi and Harry is worried, because the brunette doesn’t seem to be moving from his seat any time soon.

So he tells them he’s gonna stay for a little while and thanks them for a nice evening. They make fun of his choice of words like they always do, but he doesn’t care, his mind is elsewhere. He’s playing with his fingers in his pocket impatiently the moment they leave, and he turns around when he sees the door shut closed and walks to the bar.

“Come on, Dave! I’m not in the mood for your bullshit!” Harry hears him talk, his voice is deep and his accent is stronger, his tearful eyes and red cheeks stop the barman from saying something and Harry can’t take it anymore.

“That’s enough, Niall.” Harry says quietly, approaching him slowly, Niall seems disorientated but he hears him because he looks at his left and tries to focus on Harry’s face.

Even when Harry spent the whole night looking at him, Niall didn’t turn once and he was okay with it, relief even, but he started to notice things weren’t good by the way he was drinking. In a five year relationship, Harry never saw him drink like that.

Niall smiles and drops the empty glass. Luckily the barman is fast enough to catch it. He starts laughing when he touches Harry’s face with both hands and he freezes, holding his breath, feeling Niall’s fingers touching his cheeks, his nose, his lips.

So he takes his time looking at him. It’s been three years since he last saw him, and he looks even more gorgeous. His hair is dark brown without a trail of the blonde hair he knew so well, he’s growing a beard and it makes him want to bite his jawline. Harry swallows when Niall’s hands finally rest on the sides of his neck.

“Look at you,” Niall whispers, eyes running through Harry’s face, biting his lips, tears dropping on his cheeks, “You’re so beautiful, you look just like my ex.” He laughs and Harry closes his eyes.

Niall sits in the chair again, almost falling on his side but Harry holds him tight.

He thought about running into Niall a million times. He created so many scenarios with so many endings. They’d meet in a cafeteria by accident, Harry would buy him a coffee and apologize for breaking both of their hearts, Niall’d laugh and buy him a biscuit because that’s who he is. But he never imagine a broken Niall crying in his arms in a pub in Dublin.

“Can I call you Harry?” Niall says, sounding like a kid asking to forgiveness after breaking some fancy ornament. Harry nods, biting the inside of his cheek.

The barman looks at Harry, asking implied questions and he nods, like saying _“yes, you can leave him with me. I’ll take care of him”_.

“It’d be very funny if I bump into Harry today from all days if I’m honest. Full circle.” Niall rubs his nose on his shirt too hard to be gentle.

“Why is that?” Harry says, taking Niall’s arm off his face, taking his hair out of his eyes and a stranger’s glass out of his hand.

Niall looks at him, with a sad smile on his face, trying to breathe in and out just like Harry taught him when he was having anxiety attacks, so Harry rubs his back, just like he used to.

“I just saw my fiancée cheating on me.” He looks at the man’s glass on his right again and somehow he lets Niall drink it before paying his bill and leaving.

Harry’s hand stops. And the only word on his mind is _fiancée_.

“You’re engaged?” Niall turns to Harry after hearing him say that, he smiles.

“I have no fucking idea anymore.”

Harry’s whole body feels numb and he knows he has no right to feel this way but Niall was someone in the back of his mind all this time, at the end of the day, thoughts always return to him before falling sleep. But seeing him right now, like this, makes him regret every single decision he made.

“Greg told me months ago, but I didn’t wanna believe it, you know? Maybe that’s what pisses me off the most.” Niall’s voice is trembling, Harry doesn’t know what to do.

“Do you love her?” so he asks the only thing on his mind.

Niall looks up to him, he shakes his head. “I thought I did, but this pain doesn’t come near what I felt when he left me.”

“Niall…”

“I don’t understand.” He says, louder and it takes Harry by surprise. “Is there something wrong with me?!” Harry shakes his head, wildly.

“No, Niall, it’s not you, it could never be you.” Harry rushes, holding his hand.

“Why do people keep hurting me?” he asks, looking at Harry’s eyes tearing up, leaning his head to the side like he couldn’t understand his reaction.

“I’m so sorry.” Harry starts crying, kissing the back of Niall’s hand, holding it tightly to his chest.

“You’re messing with my head now, I need to go home.” He stands up and Harry has to hold him again so he won’t fall but he pushes him away and tries to walk by himself.

Harry rushes to pay his bill and follows him outside the pub, feeling the cold air hit him right in the face. Niall is looking at the screen on his phone with his car keys in his right hand.

“Let me drive, I’ll take you wherever you’re staying.” He tries to take Niall’s keys from his hand but he steps away.

“No, I’ll call Bobby, he’ll be here in a second.” Niall puts his phone on his ear as he bites his nails.

Harry looks at him for a second, frowning. “Bobby? Niall you’re in Dublin, not in Mullingar.”

Niall stops and looks at Harry, ends the call and looks around him, like he’s finally aware of what is going on, like he finally recognizes the person in front of him. He starts crying and Harry takes the keys out of his hand, letting Niall fall into his chest and cry in his shoulder. And it hurts, feeling him shaking in his arms, holding his coat and breathing fast on his neck. It hurts and he hates feeling this helpless, because he wants Niall’s pain to go away, but the only thing he can do is holding his head.

“I have to drive home. I drove here looking for her to prove Greg wrong, I have to get out of here.” Niall tries to pull away but Harry holds him closer.

“I won’t let you.” He says, right into his ear and Niall cries harder until his breathing is still again and his bones go flat.

When Harry looks down, Niall reaches up for his lips, kissing him roughly, but Harry doesn’t move, because Niall is a mess right now. A beautiful, broken mess with rosy cheeks and chapped lips. When he pulls back, he rests his head on Harry’s chest.

“Take me home.” He whispers and all that Harry can do is nod.


End file.
